Tropical Storm Isaac is making its way over the Caribbean on Wednesday, forecasters say they expect it to turn into a hurricane later this week, sparking worries that it could threaten next week's Republican National Convention in Florida.
Tropical Storm Isaac was already leaving heavy rains on the Leeward Islands on Wednesday afternoon and hurricane watches have already been set up in various places, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
The storm was 75 miles (120 kilometers) east-northeast of Dominica early Wednesday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). Isaac was moving west at 21 mph (33 kph) and is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
At the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in southeast Cuba on Wednesday, authorities said Isaac had forced the postponement of pretrial hearings that were to begin on Thursday for five prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that Tropical Storm Isaac will hit the naval base at Guantanamo, on the southeastern tip of the island, Saturday morning. A military statement said winds of nearly 60 mph are expected.
Judge James Pohl, who is overseeing the proceedings in the Sept. 11 case, ruled that the start of the pretrial hearings, scheduled for Thursday, would be delayed. The hearings had already been postponed by one day because of an interruption in the government's computer network, which was caused by a deadly train derailment in Maryland, according to the Washington Post.
